Here’s the set-up: three years ago, our 100,000 Homes Campaign announced it had helped participating communities house more than 105,580 people. And yet, during the Campaign, national estimates of chronic homelessness only dropped by about 22,000. Something wasn’t adding up.

So, we devoted ourselves to a new question— instead of counting up to a large number of people housed, what would we have to figure out to count all the way down to zero?

This profile in the Times shares what we’ve learned so far about that question. Through Built for Zero, we’ve partnered with more than 80 communities across North America, nine of which have now measurably ended homelessness for veterans or people experiencing chronic homeless. Zero is possible!